University of Michigan's Jack Kay named Eastern Michigan University provost

Jack Kay, provost at the University of Michigan-Flint, has been named provost and executive vice president at Eastern Michigan University.

Jack Kay

The appointment of Kay, 58, must be approved by the EMU Board of Regents.
He was selected after a national search. Four finalists were brought to EMU for meetings with faculty and other groups this spring.

Kay has served in a variety of positions at U-M-Flint, including a stint as interim chancellor from January 2007 to August 2008.

He is a professor of communication, with expertise in rhetoric, political communication and hate crimes. He has also taught at Wayne State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He received his Ph.D. in communication from Wayne State in 1979.

Kay will be paid a base salary of $252,000, and a one-time signing bonus of $20,000. He will begin the job on Aug. 1.

EMU President Susan Martin said Kay will bring an intellectual focus along with a strong record of focusing on campus priorities such as enrollment, interdisciplinary work and new program development. "I know he will work tirelessly to enhance our academic reputation and strong commitment to community engagement," Martin said in a statement.

Kay said in statement that EMU is an institution of opportunity. "It has a great faculty and is destined for a critical role in revitalizing Michigan's economy over the next few years," Kay said.

EMU Associate Provost Robert Neely will serve as interim provost through July 31.